Category: Health

It’s that time of year. You know what I mean. The time of year when the temperatures change and there are a lot of things in the air that irritate us. No… I’m not talking about government or any other touchy subject that is likely to get someone on their soapbox. I’m referring to cold and flu season.

I’ve come to the conclusion that it happens about now not necessarily due to the time of year seasonally, but due to the weird flux of stress that occurs. For example, I am almost certain that I am dealing with major allergies because I’ve been in high performance stress for these first 9 weeks of school for our annual dance program. Now I’m shifting gears to a more “typical”classroom routine, still preparing for performances, but no where near the intense level we were at previously.

As such, I’m doing what we should all do which is to stay hydrated and get plenty of rest. It is important to not try to sing through conditions like this since what has happened usually is that your vocal chords have been overused and are needing the rest. I tell my students all the time that talking is actually one of the worst things for your vocal chords. Singing actually works with your vocal chords more naturally and is gentler with the muscles than talking. Of course whispering is definitely better than talking to rest your vocal chords since whispering does not engage this set of muscles. Whispering also helps with overall voice levels in your class as the students tend to be at what voice level you the teacher set. Food for thought, you know?

By the way, our dance program was a roaring success! Many thanks go out to the food trucks that provided dinner and dessert for us (Let Em Eat Brats, Funky Monkey Munchies, and Kona Ice), our supportive co-workers and administration, and of course our community of families! We had over half of the school in attendance with their families. The students continue to raise the bar for themselves challenging us to find new ways to challenge them. I’ll be updating soon with a few pictures from the event. For now, I’m off to drink some more water and get some rest!